Students planning to relocate this August to a new downtown apartment are upset because they will have to find a temporary place to live and store their belongings for up to two weeks prior to moving.

Theresa Nguyen (junior-communication science and disorders) is just one of many students faced with this predicament, as her lease at Fairmount East Apartments, 203 E. Fairmount Ave., ends on Aug. 10, and her new lease at Penn Tower, 255 E. Beaver Ave., begins Aug. 23.

"We have two weeks with no place to live and we all have jobs here," Nguyen said, speaking for her three roommates as well.

While Nguyen and her roommates are making arrangements to stay at a friend's house, Jessica Perera (senior-marketing) has no choice but to go home while waiting to move into her new Alexander Court apartment at 309 E. Beaver Ave.

"I had to quit my job two weeks early because I have no place to live," Perera said.

Perera works at the commons desk in McElwain Hall and her departure will have some effect on staffing, said Paul Githiga, commons desk manager.

"It affects us to some degree. It just means we have less flexibility, but it doesn't cripple us," Githiga said.

Both Nguyen and Perera decided not to extend their current leases or arrange earlier move-in dates with their future landlords.

Perera said that several of her friends, who have the same problem and tried to arrange an earlier move-in date, were unsuccessful.

"They were told that stuff needed to be done to the apartment and there would not be enough time if they moved in early," she said.

Patricia Slagle, property manager of The Pointe, 501 Vairo Blvd., said there is not a lot that can be done about this problem.

"We take that two-week period to get the apartment ready. We clean, paint, clean carpets and do any necessary maintenance and it takes every bit of that time," Slagle said.

In the past few years, a few students have tried to move into The Pointe early, Slagle said.

"The only reason it can't be done is because we can't turn over the rooms that quickly," she said. "On the whole, everyone seems to be fairly understanding that those are the dates and that there is not a whole lot we can do to change that," Slagle said.

Perera considered keeping her personal belongings in a storage unit, but could not find anything available during that time period, she said.

"I have no place to store my stuff. Everything is booked up until September. If you live out-of-state like me, you need somewhere to put your stuff. You can't fly it home," Perera said.

Doris Wentz, a spokesperson for Midway Storage, said about 30 students call every day requesting storage for the two weeks landlords use to prepare apartments for new tenants.

"Unfortunately, we don't have anything available," Wentz said. "I maintain a waiting list with students. If something comes up, I call them, but most of the time it doesn't. Then our only suggestion is to look in the yellow pages for Lewistown because everything here is full," she said.

Wentz said she believes the university and local rental agents are cheating the students.

"To expect them to move out for three weeks is unrealistic if you are not providing them with a place to store their stuff," Wentz said. "There just isn't enough storage space in State College and Bellefonte to handle all of the students."

Although Nguyen has found a place to stay during the gap, she said the situation has become an inconvenience for everyone.

"We are being a burden to our friend because he has to take in extra roommates," Nguyen said. "Also, we can't really unpack and living out of a bag really sucks."

Like many students forced to put their lives on hold for these two weeks, Nguyen is aggravated by the situation.

"I don't think it takes two or three weeks to get an apartment ready," Nguyen said. "I think it's just sitting there for two weeks with no one living in it. It's a really big inconvenience."